Flats and homes plan approved for historical site

Plans to build new homes and flats on one of the final remaining parts of a historical Wolverhampton factory have been approved.

The former bowling green at the now demolished Gunnebo site in Woden Road in Heath Town was home to Chubbs Safes before the company was sold nearly 25 years ago.

Plans to build housing on the land in 2019 were turned down, but City of Wolverhampton Council said the applicant had demonstrated there was no longer a need for the facility at the site.

More than 100 homes have already been built on the factory site in recent years and the new application is for six new homes and nine apartments, according to the application by Gunnebo Safe Storage UK.

According to the application, City of Wolverhampton Council had approached Gunnebo in 2022 over plans to turn the former bowling green into a skate park as part of legacy work for that year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, following a peak in interest.

However, the work never got off the ground and the site stayed empty.

A year later the council said the patch of grass was still not being used, the site was "redundant" and there was no interest from either the local authority or the local community in using it for sport.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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